Lost
by Thinline
Summary: Gregor is back in Underland and everything is prefect. Then he and Ripred go on another quest and loses something he needs.
1. Chapter 1

A smile creeped across Gregor's face as the air became cooler and dry. He let out a sigh to finally be out of the hot New York summer air. It was dark but he could see. His sisters weren't with him this time so he didn't bring light. "This is where I belong" he thought.

No Gregor never moved to Virginia. His Dad somehow convinced his Mom that it would be better to stay. With his Grandma being sick and all they weren't moving any time soon anyways. At first his Mom was very scared. The only time they left the house was to go to school and even then either his Mom or Mrs. Cormaci walked with them. He felt like a prisoner. Slowly they were allowed to go out but not to the Park or laundry room. Gregor and Lizzie still wanted to go back really badly though. Gregor's Dad and Mrs. Cormaci started talking to their Mom about letting them visit Underland. It took months. Months of Gregor waiting and hoping she would say yes but finally she did.

He didn't seem that long ago for Gregor. He stilled remembered the feeling of going back down after months of being in Overland. It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He could finally breathe again. His Mom insisted on coming with them. Gregor didn't care as long as he went. Boots and Lizzie came too. They went down the Laundry Room grate. When they got down they walked toward the city. Scouts saw them and took them to Regalia. Word of them coming must have reached Luxa. When they landed, she was running up to meet them and didn't stop until she was in Gregor's arms. He held on to her and said "I missed you". She smiled and said "Me too. I thought I would never see you again". Gregor saw his Mom give him a dirty look; she didn't know about him and Luxa. He didn't care.

Luxa lead them into the castle to the dinning hall where everyone was eating lunch. Vikus stood and greeted them. He was still weak but getting better. Lizzie ran to Ripred and gave him the cookies she brought. Gregor and his family stayed for hours catching up. Of course before it got too late, Gregor's Mom made them all go back home. Gregor promised the Underlanders that he would return, and sooner this time. It was two weeks before Gregor's Mom took them back down. Gregor wanted to go down more often. His Mom worked and couldn't take them and his Dad was still too weak. Finally Gregor's Mom told he that he could go down by himself but there were rules. He had to get all his school work done first, he had to always tell his Dad, Mom or Mrs. Cormaci when he was going and he had to be home before dark. The last rule was the hardest because there was no sun in Underland. Because of that Gregor's Dad got him a watch with an alarm on it.

This was 3 years ago. From then on Gregor visited when ever he could. School made this hard. The year he started visiting was the year he started high school and his Mom did not accept anything lower than a B. Gregor knew if his grades went below that his visits to Underland would stop. Also his Dad thought it would be good to continue his old hobbies. That meant running on the track team after school and playing in his school band. Even if he was a normal teenager he would have had a busy life. He had fun doing these activities but they keep him away from Underland. He also had a feeling that his parents told him to do these thing because they were afraid they would lose him to Underland. They wanted to give him something more than just family to tie him to Overland.

Still with the busy life Gregor made time to visit Underland. He had tons of fun with his friends down there. They became his second family. Luxa and Gregor grew very close. They even went on "dates". Gregor learned all about Underland. Because it was a time of peace they could travel all over without fear of being attacked. Luxa took Gregor to The Front, Queenshead, and Crystal beach. They made plans to map the Uncharted Lands when they were older. They both knew this wouldn't happen. Luxa, being Queen and all, would never be allowed to do something so dangerous. Though that never stopped her before.

Gregor showed Luxa Overland too. One day, with permission from his Mom, he took her up at night to show her the stars. Hazard came too because he wanted to see where his Mom was from. They didn't go too far. They just sat on a bench in the park. Everything was fascinating to them. The grass, the lights, the trees, the sounds, the smells, the bench. Before the sun came up he took them back down. They both thought Overland was amazing and begged him to take them back. Over time Gregor took Luxa back up a handful of time, but Lizzie took Hazard up daily. Sometimes they even go up during the day and go to the movies. Hazard tells Luxa about all the thing he does up there and she gets jealous, but she knows her place is in Underland.

Today was a special day. It was Luxa's birthday. She was turning sixteen. Gregor couldn't figure out what to get her. He could always just get her something from Overland that they didn't have in Underland, but he didn't feel that it would mean much to her. He wanted to get her something special. He asked her many times what she wanted. She'd say she had all she needed, but at that moment Gregor could see she didn't. She'd look in his eyes and he would see something was missing. What she wanted was her family. All she really had left was Vikus, Hazard and Howard. Vikus was getting weak and they knew he didn't have much time left, Hazard seemed to be spending more time in Overland than Underland now a days. and Howard was living at The Front. That left Gregor as the closes person she had and he was always so busy in Overland. What Luxa wanted was him. For him to move down and become part of her family. And that is exactly what he planned to give her


	2. Chapter 2

Things were different in Underland. When someone turned sixteen they were considered an adult. Gregor turned sixteen a couple months ago. Luxa was turning sixteen today. They would both be adult's in the Underlanders' eyes. Gregor's Mom knew about this difference too. She made a point to tell him over and over that he would not be an adult in Overland, his "real home". She also told him that she expects him to finish school in Overland. Gregor really didn't see how school mattered any more. He planed on moving to Underland as soon as he could. In Underland he wouldn't need to know Calculus or Chemistry. That certainly wasn't the stuff Luxa was learning. Gregor had sat in on some of her lessons before. She was learning about politics, stuff she would need to know to rule. That's the stuff he should be learning. He would never ask his Mom to learn in Underland. The Underlanders would allow it, but his Mom would never let him go.

He didn't care. Underland was his real home. In his real home he was an adult. Tonight he was going to propose to Luxa. He wouldn't marry her until he finished school, which was only one year, but he couldn't wait that long to propose. Maybe proposing would make Luxa happier. Give her hope that one day she can have a full family. He would love to see her happy, to see her truly happy. He want to tell her he'd be with her forever.

When he gets to the bottom of the tunnel a bat is waiting for him. It's one he doesn't recognize. Most of the other bats must be at Luxa's party already. After Ares' died, Gregor never bonded with another bat. Their were plenty bats he was friends, Aurora, Andromeda, Nike, Daedalus, but he never bonded with any. Maybe if he moved to Underland he would bond again, but the bat could never replace Ares.

The party has already started when Gregor arrives. One of the upper rooms of the palace had been transformed for the party. Gregor hadn't remembered being in this room before. It was huge. For some reason, the room reminded him of buildings from Ancient Rome that they learned about in history. Two of the walls were built of arches that served as doors out to a long balcony. From it you could see all of Regalia. The third wall was was lined with tables of food. In the middle of the room was a dance floor and all around it was tables for the guest to sit at. A band was playing music and there was a variety of creatures dancing. Bats, rats, cockroaches, fireflies and of course humans. Streamers and balloons were everywhere.

"What took you so long? I have been waiting." Luxa says as she walks up from behind Gregor. She is smiling and looks at him playfully for an answer.

"I'm sorry I had school today. I didn't even go home first" he says as he shows her his backpack. "The rest of my family will be coming as soon as Lizzie and Boot get out of school."

"What are you waiting for. Let's dance."

Gregor took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. A song was just beginning. Everyone formed into a circle. Gregor smiled; he remembers the song as the first one they danced to. They bowed to each other.

"Join the dance and come be merry

Take my hand and do not tarry

One, two, three steps up

One, two, three steps back

Turn around

Off the ground

And set down what you carry"

He couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was so beautiful, the way her hair flowed and she looked at him. She looks up to see him staring. She smiles and is passed to the next person.

"Join the dance and be lighthearted

Take my hand lest we be parted

One, two, three steps up

One, two, three steps back

Turn around

Off the ground

And finish what you started"

She finishes the song back in his arms, just as they started. They were both laughing. Luxa moved closer to him a placed a kiss on his cheek. "You did better this time" she tells him.

"You were amazing" he told her.

Gregor looks over and sees that his family has arrived. His Mom had brought a camera and already had it out snapping photos. His Mom waved over to them and Luxa and Gregor walked over.

"We came as quickly as we could but Boots insisted on getting dressed up" Gregor's Dad explained. Boots had on one of her princess dresses. Gregor knew how much Boots loved getting dressed up to come to Underland where all the Crawlers called her the Princess. She was wear a tiara and had another in her had.

"For Luxa so she can be Queen" Boots said as she handed Luxa the tiara.

"Thank you Boots. Now we match"

"I'm the Princess and you the Queen" Boots said and they both laughed.

Luxa gave everyone a hug. Boots ran of to see her Crawler friends and Lizzie went to see Ripred and her code breaking team. They both were very comfortable in Underland. They came down on visits like Gregor and had friends down there too. Gregor knew his Mom and Dad were not. They rarely came down. Part of that was because they were both so busy. Just to make ends meet they both needed to work. But part of it was that they still did not want their kids spending so much time in Underland. Gregor knew that his Mom stilled hoped one day they would grow tired of Underland and stop visiting. Gregor also knew that would never happen.

Vikus came over and led Gregor's parents to a table where him and Gregor's Dad discussed new plans on how to light the city. Gregor's Mom whipped out her camera again and started taking pictures.

"Should we get back to our dance?" Luxa asked him.

"Lead the way" Gregor replied. When they got back to the dance floor, a slow song was starting. Gregor grabbed Luxa's waist and she put her hands on his shoulders. He really had no idea what to do. He had never dance like this before.

Luxa looked up at him and she could probably see the confused look on Gregor's face. "Just follow what I do" she said. She took the lead and Gregor followed her one beat behind. "Your doing well" she told him.

"Now your just lying" Gregor said and they both laughed. When the dance was over they sat down with Gregor's family and Luxa's to have cake and dinner. The rest of the evening seemed to go by in a blur. Gregor was too enchanted by Luxa, and excited to give her his gift. It was well into the night when the guest started to leave. Gregor didn't know how she did it, but Luxa convinced Gregor's parents to let him sleepover in Underland. And on a school night too. She told them how her coronation was tomorrow and how it would mean a lot to her if he came. They said ok.

Gregor kissed and hugged his family as they got on bats to take them back to Overland. Lizzie protested alittle about wanting to stay too. Gregor's mom told her very firmly "no". Lizzie was never one to go against Mom's rules and stopped arguing.

None of them knew what Gregor planed to do that night. Only maybe his Grandma knew. She was the one to give him the ring. One day while Gregor was visiting her, she had called him over. It was just the two of them. Gregor wasn't sure if she was having a sane moment or not. She pulled the ring off her finger and put it in his hand. She told him that he might need it someday. He told her thank you and held her hand as she fell back to sleep. Did she knew who he planed to give it too? Had she told anyone else she gave him the ring?

Well it didn't matter, tonight the ring was in his pocket. He held it as his parents and sisters flew off. Now he just had to get them alone


	3. Chapter 3

Luxa and Gregor returned back into the castle. After seeing the rest of the guest out they ended up in the Nursery. "I have many fond memories in here" Luxa says, " I hope one day this nursery will be used again".

"I have a feeling it will if you wish it to be" Gregor told her. She looked curiously at him and smiled. They both sat on the floor of the nursery with their backs agaist the wall. Luxa out her head on Gregor's shoulder and held his hand. "Luxa, I have to ask you something" Gregor says.

"Yes Gregor" she said. She was more attentive now. She sat up straight and watched Gregor as he moved forward onto one knee. "Do Underlanders do this" he thought.

"I really love you and can't stand being apart from you in Overland" he said. He see Luxa nod slightly in the dim light. He sees her eyes grow wide as he pulls out the ring. She gasps. "I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?"

A tear forms on her face as she smiles. "Yes, of course Gregor, I will" she replied. "I love you" she says as Gregor puts the ring on her finger and kisses her. They lay back down in each other's arms.

"Does this mean you are coming to live down here now?" she asks him hopefully.

"Someday. My parents do not know that I was going to ask you. My mom will still want me to finish school and even then she won't be happy about us getting married" he told her.

"I see. Would you let them stop you? Stop us from being together?" she asks.

"I will make her happy and finish school. It's only one more year, but I will not let her stop me, stop us" he told her.

"What if she stops you from visiting? If she thinks keeping us apart will … will stop you, make you forget" She says.

"Luxa, I will never, ever forget. I promise. Also, I think that we should not tell her until I finish school" he says.

"Yes, that might be a good idea. Then she will still let you come down and visit. We will keep this a secret" she tells him. She snuggles closer to Gregor and closes her eyes. Gregor stares at the ceiling and listens to her heart beat. Slowly he closes his eyes too.

It's morning when his eyes open. Luxa is still asleep but Hazard is standing above them eyeing the ring. Hazard raises his eye brow as Gregor shruged his shoulders.

"Shhhh. I won't tell" Hazard says as he leaves the room.

"That was close" Gregor thought "This is going to be harder then it seemed". He just felt so happy that he wanted to tell everyone. To run down the hall screaming. To tell the world. But he couldn't. He knew he couldn't.

He looked down and saw Luxa waking up. Her eyes were barely open but she had a smile on her face. "Good morning" she said.

"Yes it is" he replied as she sat up. They sat against the wall and Luxa put her head on Gregor's shoulder again. For awhile they just sat holding each other's hands.

"Your going to be King, you know" Luxa told him.

"I don't care. I just want to be with you" he told her as he squeezed her hand.

"Your going to be a great King. I know it" she replied.

"Because I will have a great Queen" he said as he kissed her. It was like the first time he kissed her all over again. He felt warm and happy


	4. Chapter 4

Just as they finished, Vikus walked in. Luxa quickly hid her hand behind her back. "There you two are." Vikus said. He looked at them suspiciously. "Did you spend the night in here? We have been looking for the both of you."

"I'm sorry" Luxa said. "We came in here remembering old times and we fell asleep".

"That's ok. We were just worry that maybe the two of you ran off" Vikus said. "Well, I can see that you haven't. Come Luxa it is time for you to get ready. You should get ready too, Gregor" Vikus took Luxa's hand and led her out of the room. Gregor found his way to the wash room. As he entered he found a new pair of clothes waiting for him. They were similar to an Overland suit. He washed off and went back to look at the clothes. The jacket was longer than normal and looked different, but other than that he would have thought they were Overland clothes.

As he put on the clothes he heard his name being called. He quickly finished and ran out to find Howard waiting for him.

"Howard, how have you been. It's been so long since I've last seen you" Gregor said.

"I know, I know, but we can catch up later. The coronation is about to begin" Howard told him. Gregor followed Howard back up to the room Luxa's Birthday had been held. This time the room was filled with chairs. The front of the room had a podium and a very fancy chair. Howard led him to the very front row where two chairs were marked for them. Gregor felt funny sitting in the front row. He could tell they were very important seats. But then he remembered he was important to the Underlanders. He was their warrior who saved their whole city and one day he would be their King.

Most of the chairs were filled now. Everyone was silent waiting for Luxa to enter. The doors opened and the council members filled in. Most of them sat in the front row with Gregor and Howard. That just made Gregor feel even more uncomfortable and he was pretty sure some of the council didn't like it either. Only Vikus didn't sit. He walked past the chairs and stood on the podium.

After the council enter there was a pause and everyone stood. The doors opened again and Luxa entered. Gregor's mouth opened. She was beautiful. She wore a long silver dress with purple strains through it. She no longer looked like the 16 year old girl he danced with last night. She looked like the Queen of Regalia. She walked with confidence and certainty. The room was packed but it was completely silent. When Luxa reached the podium she sat on the chair. Everyone else sat too.

For a second, Gregor saw fear and nervousness creep onto her face, but she quickly recovered. Her face stood firm and confident. He smiled at her. Her face didn't move but her eyes smiled back.

"Let us begin" Vikus said. A man, standing by the wall, stepped up to Vikus. He was holding a chest. It was made of wood, which wasn't common in Underland, so it must have been very important. He opened the chest for Vikus and Vikus pulled out a crown. This crown was different from any Gregor had seen Luxa wear before. It looked older, and made her other crowns look like the toy ones Boots bought. Gregor looked back at Luxa and saw that a tear was forming in her eye. She blinked to hold it back. Gregor wonder what was making her cry. It was something she rarely did.

"I hold in my hand the crown pasted down from generation to generation of our Queens. It was my daughter's, and now I pass it on to you." Vikus said. Now it made sense. It was Luxa's mother's crown. "Luxa please kneel" Vikus continued. This was a difficult action to accomplish in her dress, but after a couple tries she knelt.

"Luxa do you promise to serve the Regalian people and to defend your country at all cost" Vikus said.

"I do" Luxa said firmly.

"Do you promise to govern the Regalian people with fair and just laws"

"I do"

"Then I, head of the Regalian council and Brother to the late Queen, declare you Queen of Regalia." Vikus put the crown on Luxa's head and she stood. Everyone in the room bowed to her.

When everyone was back in their seats, Luxa opened her mouth to speak. "Thank you for trusting me to lead you. I will do my best to carry on the tradition of the past leaders. To be fair and just. To lead you wisely through good and bad times. I hope that I too can be the leader my parents were. Thank you."

Everyone bowed again and Vikus led Luxa out of the room.

"Come Gregor, there will be a feast for Luxa now" Howard said.

"I can't go. Ripred told me to meet him right after the coronation" Gregor explained.

"For what?" asked Howard.

"To fight. We meet every once in awhile to fight. He said I can go to the feast after I beat him"

"Then I guess I won't be seeing you there. That's too bad" Howard said as he laugh.

"I'll be there sooner then you think" Gregor said


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing Gregor did was change out of his clothes. He needed something he could move around in.

About once a week Gregor met with Ripred under the castle. He and Ripred would practice different moves in the dark. This way Gregor could practice echolocation. It also helped control his rager feelings. Ripred had told Gregor last week that he wanted to meet today. Gregor protested of course. He didn't want to miss anything of Luxa's coronation. Ripred insisted that Gregor meet him. He told Gregor that the Lunch would be boring anyways, and he would have plenty of them in the future. Gregor didn't buy it, so Ripred called him lazy and threatened to make him come down. Gregor unhappily agreed.

Gregor found the clothes he was looking for in the room Luxa gave him to keep stuff in. The room also had beds incase him or any member of his family stayed a night. Gregor was the only member of his family to have stayed down for more then one day so it was practically his room.

Now that Gregor was heading down to see Ripred he was glad he was missing Luxa's lunch. The idea of moving to Underland and marring Luxa had made him so excited that he was having rager feelings. He laughed at the thought of it. Being so happy that you needed to fight. Maybe his time with Ripred would calm him down.

Ripred was waiting for him when he got down there. "I didn't see you at the coronation" Gregor said.

"Oh, I was there. In the very back so I could sleep. The whole thing was very boring. Plus no one would want a rat sitting in the front row" Ripred replied.

"But you're Luxa's bond. Doesn't that mean something?" Gregor asked.

"No not really. I would rather be in the back any way. Now are we going to talk or fight?" Ripred asked back. Gergor drew his sword. With his breath Gregor could see the whole cave. It started with Gregor chasing after Ripred, who dodged all of Gregor's attacks. Soon Ripred got tired of running from Gregor and turned to fight him one on one. Both of them were scratched. Not deep enough to leave any permanent scars, but bad enough that Gregor would not want his mom to see him. After awhile Gregor cried to stop. He would have to go back to Overland soon and he didn't want to come home too bloody.

"Already. I'm just getting started" Ripred said.

"I know but I have to go back soon" Gregor replied.

"I see. That's ok. I needed to talk to you anyways" Ripred said.

"Ok. What do you need to talk about?" Gregor asked as he lit a torch. He didn't mind fighting in the dark, but if they were just going to be talking he wanted to see with a light.

"I've heard something weird has been going on in The Dead Land. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to investigate" Ripred asked.

"You mean like a quest. Like old times" Gregor said.

"Yeah but it would just be the two of us. No need to worry anyone else" Ripred said "It might be dangerous and I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt". Gregor knew he was talking about Luxa. "I don't think it would be wise to ask anyone else to come" he continued.

"I see. How long will it take?" Gregor asked.

"Three days top" Ripred said.

"My mom…" Gregor said.

"I know. I thought that might be hard for you" Ripred said. He thought for awhile then continued "Tell her you want to take a trip to The Front to visit Howard. Or even better, that Howard invited you to come."

"Yeah that might work, and I have a three day weekend starting tomorrow" Gregor said.

"So it's set. I'll meet you by the Waterway entrance tomorrow morning" Ripred said.

"Ok. but we'll need a bat" Gregor said.

"Yes, don't worry I'll find one" Ripred told him

"Ok then. See you tomorrow" Gregor said.

"Yes, and remember not to tell anyone else" Ripred said as they left. The rest of the day was a blur. He told Luxa he had to get back and left Underland early. The whole way back he worked on what he would tell his Mom. He could just hope she would say "yes"


	6. Chapter 6

Gregor couldn't remember the last time he had a sleepless night. It had been years. Years without worry. Without quests. Without danger. Without prophecies. Without real excitement. Feeling this way made him realize how much he missed it. Thoughts of what would happen played out in his mind.

He had so many questions to ask Ripred. What was happening? Why did no one else know? Did this have to do with the rats? Then a thought struck him. Are there more prophecies? He'd been in the prophecy room plenty of times, but he never read everyone of them. Could this be the start to another prophecy? No he did want that. Or did he. He pushed the thought aside and ran through what happen when he got home.

Everyone was happy to see him. Boots told him that she missed him. "Wow" he thought "and that when I was gone only one night". Mrs. Cormaci came over and they all ate dinner. Gregor wasn't that hungry, he had eaten with Luxa before he left. After dinner everyone sat in the family room. The TV wasn't working so everyone just talked. Gregor guessed this was a good time to ask his Mom. He started by telling everyone about Luxa's coronation. Mrs. Cormaci was fascinated. Gregor made sure to point out his meeting with Howard and how they both hadn't seen each other in awhile. Gregor also left out the part when he met with Ripred. That would just worry everyone, and his family had no idea he still trained with Ripred. They didn't even know he was a rager.

He told his family that he went to Luxa's lunch party and talked to Howard some more there. He told them that Howard invited him to visit the Front, just to visit and catch up. He assured them there would be no danger. His mom looked hesitant but his father told him he could go. He was relieved. He thanked them and went to pack.

This wasn't helping him go to bed. It just made him feel guilty. How many times did he lie to his parents? He finally fell asleep counting.

He awoke with the sun creeping into the sky. He looked at the clock in his room. 7:30. He should be going, Ripred would be waiting. Quietly he grabbed his stuff and made his way to the door. Everyone else was sleeping and he didn't want to wake them.

He was almost at the door. "Your going already. Didn't you want to say good bye?" he heard someone call behind him. He turned around to see his Mom drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

"I thought you were asleep" he said.

"And not see you off. I thought you might try to leave early" she told him.

"Awww mom. Have you been waiting" he asked. Wondering if he was the only one who had a hard time sleeping that night.

"Yes, but I couldn't sleep anyways. I worry about you. I worry everytime you go" she said. That made Gregor feel like he was selfish. He was going off on another dangerous mission and not even thinking about other people's feelings. What if he did get hurt? What if he didn't come back? How his family would feel. How Luxa would feel.

"I'll be back soon I promise. Don't worry about me" he assured her.

"It's hard letting you go" she said as she started to cry. "Sometimes I feel like I've lost you". He realized this was about more then just him going to see Howard.

"Mom even when I'm in Underland I'm your son. You could come down there more too" he said.

"How can I? I have a job. I have to take care of the family…" she told him.

"You wouldn't have to if we moved down there. You wouldn't have to worry about anything. You would be royalty down there" he told her.

She stared deep in his eyes. Her face looked worn. It was from all those years of missing his dad, then of missing him. It was from supporting a family by herself while his dad was sick. It was from being at work instead of being with Boots and Lizzie. Why didn't she understand they could change all this.

"I don't belong down there, like you do" she finally said. "You have fun."

"When I'm back maybe we could spend some time together. Just you and me" he said.

She smiled weakly. "That would be nice" she said. She got up and hugged him.

"I love you, Mom" he said.

"I love you, too" she told him as she let him go.

He opened the door and looked back at her. He opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out. He smile and shut the door as he left.

He checked his watch and saw he was late. He race down the steps because the elevator wasn't working again.

New York was already awake. Cars, people, and animals blocked the streets. He pushed pass them itching to get to Underland. Finally he gets to the park and in the waterway entrance. Ripred was waiting for him on a bat.

"What took you so long?" Ripred barked at Gregor, "Someone might see us leaving now"

"I had something to do before I left. I came as fast as I could" he replied.

"Hello Overlander" the bat said.

"Is that you Nike?" Gregor asked.

"Yes, Ripred asked me to come" she replied.

"Oh, I'm glad he asked you" Gregor said, then he turned to Ripred. "What did you bring?"

"Not much it was hard enough leaving without anyone noticing" Ripred said.

"Oh" Gregor said. "Maybe I should have brought more" he thought.

"We have enough food for three days. I also got your sword. That was the hardest part. People might think something was up if they saw me caring around your sword. I had to hide it to get it out." Ripred said.

"Oh thanks" Gregor said.

"So what did you tell Luxa?" Ripred asked.

"I told her I have a school trip, so I would not be in Underland for a couple days" Gregor told him.

"Did she buy it?" Ripred asked.

"Yeah, I think so. She didn't say anything about it" Gregor said.

"What about your parents" Ripred asked.

"I did like you said. It wasn't too much trouble" Gregor said. He didn't like talking about it. He lied to the people he loved. He tryed to drop the subject.

"So where are we going?" he asked.

"The Dead Land" Ripred replied.

"Where only the toughest survive" Gregor thought


	7. Chapter 7

The ride out was very silent. Gregor didn't ask Ripred too many question. He tryed to tell himself not to worry about the people back home, but he couldn't stop. They trusted him and he lied to them. He told himself he had to. That it was to protect them. Plus there was no harm done. He'd be back in three days and everything would go back to the way it was.

"Before we land do you think you should fill me in on what's happening" Gregor asked Ripred.

"Well I guess I'll have to" Ripred answered. "Nike you should listen too"

"Well it started a couple weeks ago" Ripred continued. "Luxa is not the only one with scouts by the Dead land. I've had rats positioned out here for some time. I like to get information from more then one source"

"I'm guessing Luxa doesn't know about your scouts" Gregor said.

"That's correct and I plan to keep it that way" Ripred replied. "My rats try to not be seen by the human scouts and they do a good job. But lately, they have told me that they haven't seen many humans around. No scouts. Luxa never said anything about moving them. She believes them to still be there."

"Wouldn't she know there're missing if it's been more then a week" Gregor asked.

"Not particularly, you see it's not uncommon not to hear from them in months. Not much happen in the Dead land so there is no point in them going back to Regalia to report on nothing. My rats, on the other hand, report back weekly."

"So what, maybe your rats just haven't run into them. The Dead Lands are a big place" Gregor said.

"No, you don't understand. My rats are there to watch Luxa's scouts. They always know where they are. But now the scouts are missing. Only one was found. He was found dead." Ripred said.

"So we are looking for the scouts." Gregor said.

"No, we are looking for what killed them" Ripred said.

Gregor was silent as he took it in. He wondered what else Ripred has keep from Luxa. "Have any ideas?" Gregor asked.

"Yes I do. My scouts have seen other things too. Cutters in the Dead Lands. They come in large numbers from their home. I have a feeling they have something to do with the Scouts' disappearance" Ripred said.

"We are here" Nike called.

"Find a safe place to land" Ripred told her. They circled around looking for the safest place. Nike found a large curved rock for them to rest under. When they landed Ripred took out food for them to snack on.

"It won't get dark for a couple hours. I think we should look around the area to see if we can find anything" Ripred said.

"Ok" Gregor said. He got up to go with Ripred. Nike stood too. "Nike, you should stay" Gregor told her.

"He is right" Ripred said "You must be tired. Plus we will not be flying and it is not so easy for bats to walk so long"

"No I'm fine" she protested.

"Really Nike, stay. We need you rested if we need to fly later" Gregor added.

"Ok I will stay, but I'm ready any time you wish to fly again" she said.

Gregor grabed his back pack but left everything else. Nike would watch all their food.

Gregor followed Ripred as he led them out. There wasn't much to see. The land was empty with no plant life. Only large rocks, like the one they landed under, covered the flat dusty ground. The Dead Lands were unlike anything Gregor had seen in Underland. They reminded him of pictures he had seen of Mars. It was like a desert. Gregor couldn't understand how anyone could live out here. The whole place just seemed so cold, so lifeless. The weird thing was, there was light coming from somewhere. He didn't need his echolocation to see. As they walked further out, he realized it was coming from caves, whose mouths poked out from the gigantic rocks.

"I don't think we will find anything up here" Ripred said.

"What do you mean?" Gregor asked.

"I mean we should look in one of the caves." Ripred said.

"Yeah, sure if you think so" Gregor said.

Ripred led him to a small cave entrance. "There is a series of caves that run under the Dead Lands. These caves connect to the one we rats live in. This cave will lead us to where other intersect" Ripred said.

Gregor followed Ripred inside. They used no light, because neither of them needed it, but also because the cave was illuminating light from deep within. Both were silent as they descended deeper into the caves. The further they went the brighter the light got. After awhile, Gregor got a feeling they were following the light. When ever there was a split in the tunnel they chose the one with the brighter light. Gregor was about to ask Ripred where the light was coming from, when Ripred shoved him against the wall. He dunked beside a rock.

"Keep down" Ripred whispered.

"What's there" Gregor mouthed back.

"Cutters" Ripred whispered.

Gregor poked his head out from behind the rock. He saw hundreds of cutters. They were matching in single file lines down into a hole. It seemed these holes were the source of the light.

"These holes weren't here before" Ripred said.

"Where are they going?" Gregor asked.

"I'm not sure" Ripred said.

Gregor watched as more and more cutters went down and none came up. Finally the line of cutters stopped. Gregor and Ripred didn't move. They stayed crouched behind the rock.

Suddenly the earth started shaking. At first Gregor thought it was another earthquake, but it felt different from the one in The Swag. Then he realized that the cave was going to collapse.

"Run" Gregor shouted to Ripred. They both took off running out of the cave. Gregor kept tripping on rock as he ran out. Ripred was ahead of him by a few feet. He looked behind him and saw the ceiling was falling. He took one more step before he fell to the ground. He saw the falling rocks getting closer, when everything when dark. The last thing he heard was Ripred calling his name


	8. Chapter 8

Gregor slowly opened his eyes, to find he couldn't see anything. His body hurt everywhere. He coughed and he found that he could see the room. He was under a rock. He coughed again, and saw four figures. One of them looked human, but the other three didn't. They all asleep on the other end under the rock. He coughed and saw them again. Who were they? Two of them looked alike. They had big wings, "like bats" Gregor thought. The fourth one was odd too. It was big and gray. Gregor could see claws instead of hands. "If I could only get up" he thought. He tried to move his arms and legs. His legs moved but painfully. "At least they are not broken" he thought. His arms were a different matter. His right was ok but the left was definitely broken. He tried to get up but fell back down, his body just didn't have the strength.

"Don't move. You're too weak. You will hurt yourself more" a voice said. From his breaths he could tell that the voice came from the unknown human. The voice sounded so familiar but he could remember it. He tried speaking but no words came out. The unknown person got up and he saw it was a girl. She lit a torch and moved towards him. Gregor opened his eyes but was blinded by the light. Slowly his vision came back and the girl came into focus. She sat next to him and he could see her face. She had blond hair that shimmered in the fire light. For a second he thought that it might be silver. Her eyes were violet and her skin was so pale. Gregor felt a strange feeling that he knew her.

"You need to rest. The cave collapsed while you and Ripred were still inside" She explained. Gregor tried to speak but couldn't. "Some of the rocks fell on you. You were trapped but Ripred pulled you out. He carried you back here, but you were knocked out. We were all worried." Gregor tried to move again, but his arms and legs felt stiff. "Stop, you shouldn't move. You were badly bruised by the rocks. At least you only broke one of your arms. If you rest it will get better. I will tend to it in the morning. Now go to sleep, I will watch over you."

Gregor tried to fight her, to tell her he wasn't tired, to ask her who she was, but his body wouldn't listen. He found his eyes closing and when he tried to speak no sound came out. When he opened his eyes again it was day. He could see everything more clearly now. He glanced over at where the creatures were sleeping but they weren't there. His arm and legs felt better then before but his left arm was still broken. He tried to sit up and found that he could. "Who was the girl last night?" he thought. "Was it a dream?". He looked around again and saw two creatures up in the sky. They were bats. He remembered them as the ones from last night, or the ones from his dream. As they came closer he saw there were creatures riding them. One was the girl from last night. The other must have been the fourth creature. Gregor could see now that it was a rat.

He tried to remember what he was doing there, but couldn't. Was he kidnapped? But by who? A girl, two bats and a rat. That settled it, he must still be sleeping. Sometimes he had dreams like this. When he woke up he would tell his dream to Boots. She would enjoy the story. Of course, he would leave some parts out, like how scared he was, or how bad he felt. Something in his mind told him it wasn't a dream. He never had a dream before where he felt real pain. In his falling dreams he always woke up before he hit the bottom. This pain felt so real. The whle dream was just too real. He never dreamed in all five senses, but now he could smell blood in the air, he could hear the bats as they got closer, he saw from his point of view, which was a first, he could feel the rocks and sand on the ground, and could taste more blood in his mouth.

The bats landed and the girl rushed over to him. She gave him a hug then stepped back to examine his whole body. The rat and bats followed after her.

"You look better" she said "How do you feel?"

"I feel like I fell off a cliff" he wanted to say. He decided not to and asked "Who are you?"

The girl's face instantly fell. She turned to the rat who shrugged. "What do you mean?" she said.

"What's your name? What am I doing here? What are they?" he responded. The girl turned away and Gregor thought he saw tears fall on the ground. She rubbed her eyes before turning around. Her face looked sad. "What was her problem" he thought.

"I'm Luxa, don't you remember me?" she asked. Gregor shook his head. What type of name was that. Yet somewhere in his mind he felt he had heard it before.

"What are they?" he asked as he pointed to the bats and the rat.

"My name is Ripred" the rat said. Gregor remembered the girl talking about Ripred last night. "And this is Nike and Aurora" he said as he pointed to the bats.

"Why am I here? Did you kidnap me? Are you going to hurt me? What do you want?" Gregor cried.

"Gregor we didn't take you. You came with Ripred and Nike on you own accord. You went with Ripred in a cave. It collapsed and you were knocked out. Ripred saved you and brought you back here. When he came he found that Aurora and I followed you guys here. We knew you were up to something. You must have lost you memory" she answered.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You are in Underland, specifically the Dead Lands" she replied. Gregor didn't like the name of this place.

"I need to get home" he said. "My mom must be worried. She can't lose me after she lost dad." Gregor saw Luxa give Ripred a look after he said that. "What?" Gregor said.

Slowly Luxa said, "Gregor, your dad isn't lost anymore…"

"What do you mean. How do you know. Of course he still is, I would know if we found him" Gregor interrupted.

Luxa walked up to Gregor. "Listen, no you wouldn't. You don't remember anything right now. You don't remember me, you don't remember your dad, you don't remember Underland" Luxa stopped. She started to cry and Aurora took her away.

"What's wrong with her" Gregor asked. He didn't understand what she was so upset about.

"Gregor" Ripred said "You found your dad. Five years ago." Gregor's face was stunned. Ripred went on. "You and your sister fell down here. There was a prophecy about you, the warrior. It was a prophecy about finding your dad. You, Boots, Luxa, Henry, Aurora, Ares, two cockroaches, two spiders, and I went on a quest to find him" Ripred had been reluctant to say Ares. Gregor noticed but didn't say anything. "Your dad was being held by other rats, bad ones. You saved him. He lives with you at home."

Gregor was silent as he took it all in. He had so many more questions to ask. Part of him didn't believe Ripred. He couldn't believe that all that had happen. How could there be a place with giant bats, rats, cockroaches and other creepy animals. Maybe this was a dream after all.

Part of him, on the other hand, did believe it. If Underland was real that would explain the weird place he was at right now and all the huge animals. He knew Boots was always looking down weird wholes. Maybe she fell down one and he followed. He also knew that if there was a prophecy about him finding his dad, he would fulfill it. That was all he wanted in the world, his dad back, and that's what Ripred was telling him he had.

"When was this?" Gregor asked.

"Five years ago when you were eleven" Ripred answered.

"But that would mean I'm sixteen" Gregor said stunned. Ripred just nodded. Gregor looked at his hands then grabbed a metal water bottle on the floor to look at his reflection. "No… no" Gregor said. His hands touched his face. "How?" He looked to Ripred.

"You haven't lost those years, well, you have kind of, you just don't remember them. When you hit your head you lost memory of all those years" Ripred told him.

"What should I do? I need to remember, I have to get back home" Gregor said as he started to pace.

"You don't have to get home. I think it is best that you don't yet. Your parents know you are down here. I don't think we should worry them with this … issue" Ripred said. Gregor started to talk but Ripred continued. "Gregor, we will explain everything to you later. Right now you should eat and rest. You must be hungry, you haven't eat in more than a day. Luxa and I will look at your arm, it looks broken"

Gregor still had questions, but Ripred was right, he was very hungry. But after he ate he would get his answers


	9. Chapter 9

Gregor wasn't sure if he was eating breakfast or lunch. It was pretty simple. There were blocks of food, Gregor recognized as cheese, and round colorful balls that must have been a type of fruit. Gregor was hesitant at first to take the food, he still didn't totally trust the "Underlanders", but after a couple bites he was sure it was ok. Plus, he was too hungry to stop even if he thought it wasn't.

Ripred brought him a bag while he was eating and told him that it was his. Apparently he had brought it down to Underland with him. Having the bag made him feel better. It was a piece of home. His muscles slowly opened the bag. His body still felt sore.

The first thing he noticed was a sword. He took it out to examine. It was almost completely silver, as Gregor turned it he saw traces of other colors. The hilt was made of gold and silver. It felt natural in him hand and he let himself wave it around. A thought occurred to him and he quickly put the sword down. How did he know how to hold a sword. He had never held one in his life, yet when he picked it up… He wasn't sure. When he held the sword he felt like a different person. He looked at the sword again, and then at his waist. The sword would fit perfectly on his belt. He picked it up and put it on. He walked around a little bit feeling the sword against his side. "That's were it belongs" he thought.

With the sword on his belt he felt safer and he returned to his bag. He found some food that looked familiar. Energy bars, snack packs and water bottles. There was also a a flashlight and a couple batteries. In the bottom of the bag were some pictures. Gregor reached down for them but stopped when he heard his name called.

"I see you found your sword" Ripred said now standing over Gregor.

"Yeah, it was in the bag" Gregor said. He saw Ripred smile for a second. Gregor had a feeling he didn't do that a lot.

"Come, I think you have some questions and we have some answers." Ripred said. Gregor got up and followed him over the Luxa and the bats. He sat down on the other end so he wouldn't be too close to them. Ripred sat next to Luxa. Gregor noticed her staring at the sword. She had a strange expression on her face that Gregor couldn't understand. She looked scared and glad at the same time. She gave Gregor a smile and he looked away.

"So" Ripred said "lets make this quick. We need to move out. Ummm, where should I begin? Well we told you about being the warrior and saving your dad. That was your first time down here. I guess we'll start with the second time." He paused and looked at Gregor then at Luxa for help. She stayed silent so Ripred continued. "Well when you got back to Overland, you didn't want to come back down. That would have been ok, except we still needed the warrior. There were more prophecies, so to get you back down, the cockroaches took Boots and brought her down here. You went after her, like we knew you would." Gregor opened his mouth to yell at Ripred, how could they take his sister, but he closed it. He wanted Ripred to go on with what happen.

Ripred told him about the bane and the quest to find him. He went on to tell Gregor about the other three quest. Luxa started to help Ripred more as they went on. Gregor was silent the whole time, letting each word sink in. When they were done everyone was quiet to let Gregor think. He couldn't believe he had done those thing.

Finally Gregor spoke, "I don't get it. How am I down here again? It sounds like my mom was never going to let me back."

This time Luxa answered. "We don't know, Gregor. That all happen in Overland and we were not there. What I do know is that you did come back. You visit almost everyday. You, you were planing to move down here"

Gregor was shocked, but before he asked more Ripred stopped him. "Save it" he told him. "We need to head out or we won't make it to the cutter's land before dark"

Gregor grabed his bag, while the others got ready to leave. It was only when he saw Ripred get on one of the bats that he realized he would have to ride one too.

"Gregor how would you like to ride, by your self or with me or Luxa?" Ripred asked him. Gregor didn't know. He didn't want to get on either bat at all. Of course he would have to, or they might leave him here, wherever here was. He thought about riding alone, but the thought scared him. He didn't know how to ride one or control it.

That left Ripred or Luxa. The rat or the human. Ripred had been the one who seemed to be giving Gregor the most information, but the rat didn't seem like someone Gregor would want to sit with. Luxa looked human. She hadn't talked to him much, but Gregor felt more comfortable with her. 'I'll go with Luxa" he said. He turned and saw her smile a little. "Come Gregor I'll help you get on" she said.

Riding on a bat was difficult for Gregor. He hated heights and held on tight to the bat. Luxa on the other hand was calm. She sat in front of him and leaned down to talk to the bat.

"Gregor, don't hold on so tight" she said as she laughed. "Here" she said "Hold on to me and loosen your grip on the bat. You won't fall." Gregor did as she said and found it was easier to stay on. "See" Luxa said as she rest her head against Gregor's shoulder. The moment she put her head down her laughter stopped. She quickly put her head back up and said sorry. They both sat in silence.

Gregor went back to looking in his bag. There wasn't much left, except the photographs. Gregor pulled them out. They were all stacked up nicely with a rubber band around them to keep them together.

The first one was his family all together. It was taken recently he noticed. He didn't remember Boots being so big. He also noticed that his dad was there. They were telling the truth he thought. He did find his dad.

The next pictures were of different member's of his family. In all the pictures everyone seemed to be really happy. It'd been a long time since he remembered being happy. But, then again, he didn't remember a lot.

The last couple of pictures were people he didn't know, or didn't remember. There were pictures of rats, bats, mice, cockroaches, and humans. He recognized Ripred in one of them. It looked like the pictures were from a party. He saw his sisters and parents in some of the pictures. They were at the party too.

The last picture was one of him and a girl. It was the only picture of him, other than the first family picture. He glanced up and saw Luxa talking to the bat. He looked back down at the picture. It was her. She was the girl in the photo. It looked like it was taken at the party too. He saw they were dancing and that he looked happy. More than happy. Luxa looked happy too. Gregor started to smile looking at the picture. He might not be able to remember being happy, but seeing this picture told him he was, and it made him happy looking at it.

Gregor thought about showing the picture to Luxa, but decided not to. He put it in his pocket instead and put the other back in his bag.

"So do you know where we are going?" he asked Luxa. She turned to him.

"No, not really. Ripred knows. All he said is that we are going to the cutter's land" she replied.

"Who are the Cutters?" Gregor asked.

"They are ants. Before the cave collapsed, you and Ripred saw cutter's in the cave. That's why we go to there home, to find out what they were doing there" she said.

"Oh" Gregor replied. They were both silent for the rest of the ride. Gregor noticed that Luxa kept touching a ring on her finger.

Gregor was almost sleep when he heard Ripred call that they were landing. He looked down and couldn't see anything. As they flew down his hand grasped his sword, ready to attack.


	10. Chapter 10

Fog covered the ground as they landed in the cutter's land, each of them ready to attack. Ripred signaled them to follow him. They moved silently towards a cave. Ripred signaled Gregor to wait by the cave opening. Ripred, Luxa and the bats spread out and searched the cave.

Gregor felt like he had been waiting forever outside the cave. He couldn't see anything inside. He was going to go in looking for them, but he didn't want to get lost. Then they would have to find him and he didn't want to trouble them.

He heard a noise coming from outside the cave. "Ripred. Luxa. Is that you?" he called out. He grabbed his sword and looked around. The fog was too thick to see anything. Gregor had moved so far away he couldn't see the cave anymore either.

He was about to put his sword away, when something green knocked him over. He jumped back up and something amazing happen. His vision got sharper and his sword started to move by itself. No, it was his that was moving it. Time seemed to slow down and he saw each of the green figures come out of the fog. His sword sliced each one.

As he fought, Gregor saw visions in his head. Something made him think that they were his memories. In all of them he was fighting. In one vision red balls were being thrown at him. He sliced each one causing a red liquid to pour out. Next he was surrounded by snakes. There were so many that he started to spin. Last he was on a bat fighting the rats with other humans. He and the bat worked together as one.

He was so distracted by the green figures and the memories that he didn't hear Luxa screaming at first. When he heard her, he turned and ran towards her voice. While he ran his sword continued to slice the green monsters coming out at him. It seemed like forever for him to find her. It wasn't hard, but he was so far away.

He found her outside the cave alone. She was being attacked by the green monsters too. He saw that she had killed some of them but she had been bit and her sword lay on the ground a couple feet away. He rushed in front of her to defend her. The number of monster jumping out started to decrease and soon the attacked ended.

Gregor looked at the remains on the ground. It looked like some type of snake, but how could it have jumped out of thin air.

Ripred and the bats found them. Gregor saw that it looked like they were attacked too. One of the bats went to Luxa's side. "I'm sorry I wasn't with you" the bat said. "I heard you scream, but we were being attacked too and I couldn't get to you"

"It's ok" Luxa told her. "I understand and I'm fine"

"No, your not. I saw you were bit" Gregor said. Luxa tried to hide her arm and gave Gregor a look.

"I'm fine really" she said, but Ripred had already come to see her arm.

"Let me see" he said "I'm your bond too". She showed him her arm reluctantly. He examined it. There were two holes where the creatures had bitten her. She was bleeding. "We need to get you back to Regalia. This looks bad."

"I told you I'm fine. I'm not leaving"

"We'll see" Ripred said.

"What were those thing?" Gregor asked.

"I have no idea" Ripred admitted. "I've never seen anything like it"

"What about the cutters?"

"They're not here. We searched everywhere but there's no sign of them" Ripred said. "The only thing we can do is go home"

"No" Luxa said. "We should go back to the Dead Lands. We need to find out where they went."

"Your right" Ripred agreed. "We will stay here the night and go back in the morning" Everyone headed into the cave and found a good place to make camp. Ripred passed food around to everyone. No one really said much. Gregor didn't mind. He didn't have much to say anyways.

Gregor put his head down to sleep but couldn't. He just laid there thinking about his day. How had he fought like that? What were those feeling? Those memories? His vision got so clear, all of his senses seemed to intensify.

While he was busy in his thoughts, he heard someone crying. He opened his eyes and saw Luxa sitting by the cave's mouth. He got up to go sit with her.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Better. I guess I should think you for saving me" she told him.

"It was no problem. I'm glad I was there. Are you crying?" Gregor moved closer so he could see her face. He saw tears coming from her violet eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. You wouldn't understand"

"You mean I wouldn't remember? Try me"

"I think I've lost someone. Someone I cared about" He noticed she was touching her ring again. Now that he saw it closer up he thought that he recognized it.

"I like your ring" he said. She laugh and started to cry again. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong". He saw her look at the ring again. She opened her hand and something fell out. "What's that?" he asked.

She quickly picked it up. "Nothing" she said wiping away tears.

"Come on let me see" he said and she slowly opened her hand for him to look. It was a picture of him with her. They were both smiling and so close, kinda like how they were now. Gregor didn't know why but he put his arm around her and let her put her head on his shoulder. "I have a picture too." With his other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo of them dancing. She took it in her hand and looked at it.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"It was in my bag with some other pictures. I liked it because I looked happy" he admitted.

"You were. We both were"

"Can I tell you something? I recognized you when you came to me last night, after I woke up. I didn't know who you were, but I knew that I knew you. I was right." She nodded her head, but stayed silent. "That's why you were crying. It's me, right?" He looked at. "I know I liked you. I think that's why I was so happy. We were close. We were friends right?"

She nodded again. "We were more then friends" she answered. "We were engaged." Gregor's arm dropped and he moved away very slightly.

"What?" he exclaimed.

"But that doesn't matter because you don't remember. You don't love me." She paused then added "anymore".

"I just don't remember." Luxa was crying again. "Don't cry. Maybe one day I will. I mean, I fell in love with you once, I'm sure I will again." She turned to look him in the eyes. He stared at her face and thought about all he knew about her.

Slowly he started to remember something. The memories was there he just couldn't reach it. There were just flashes in his mind. He was covered in mud and sinking. He saw himself holding his arm out to her for help, and her turning away. He saw her looking wore and tired in the middle of what looked like a battle. She collapse and he saw himself catch her, worried she might die. He saw them kiss.

Gregor stood up suddenly and took a step back. "Umm. Goodnight" he said, as he hurried back to his stuff. The memory keep playing in his mind as he lay. He could see that she was letting him die in the first memory, but in the next it was he that saved her.

What was the most real to him was the feelings. He felt hurt when she turned her back, he felt worry, fear and pain when he saw her collapse, and he couldn't describe what he felt when they kissed. It was more then joy. Better.

That night he went to sleep confused


	11. Chapter 11

Ripred woke Gregor up early the next morning. Everything was packed up from last night, so all they had to do was leave. Gregor decided to go with Luxa again, even though he didn't feel like talking to her. Ripred had seemed in a bad mood as they left and Gregor didn't want to have to spend the whole ride with him. Luxa seemed ok with not talking either.

It was pretty dark most of the ride. Well, it was pretty dark all the time in Underland. Not that Gregor needed light to see. Somehow even in the pitch darkness Gregor could see the outline of his surrounding. What he missed most though were the colors of Overland. In Underland most thing was different shades of dark. His watch told him it was August. He knew that the park would be filled with the colors of summer. Blues, reds, yellows, and greens would fill his eyes. He might take Boots to swim in the pool or play on the swings. Him and Lizzie might have even gone to summer camp.

He smiled as he thought about home. Luxa brought him back when she told him they were landing. It was at the same spot that they stayed before. As they landed, Gergor noticed there was someone already there. He heard Ripred say, "Not another person" as they got closer. Luxa gasped as she saw who it was. "Why is he here?" she said out loud.

The guy ran up to meet them as they got off the bats. He had come with a bat also.

"Cousin" he said as he gave Luxa a hug.

"Howard, it's great to see you but what are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Looking for Ripred and Gregor. I wasn't expecting you to be here too"

Ripred looked surprised after hearing this. "How did you know we were going to be here?" Ripred asked.

"We better sit down. It's a long story." he told them. They followed him under the rock and sat down. "Well" he continued "My story begins at Luxa's coronation. Gregor missed lunch to train with Ripred. I had talked to Gregor earlier and knew he rather be at lunch. I had hoped that Ripred wouldn't keep Gregor long. I waited awhile for Gregor to come, then when he didn't I went to get him. I thought I could maybe convince Ripred to let him leave early. As I came up to were they were practice, I hear them talking about a quest. I listened and heard you were coming here to look for cutters. I left before either of you found out I overheard.

"I knew you would be leaving the next day and I wanted to leave at the same time. Later that night though I was asked to help some other Doctors the next day. I had no choice but to agree. I knew where you were going and decided to meet you both there.

"The soonest I could leave was the day after the two of you left. I got here only to find that both of you were gone too. I decided to wait incase you came back. While waiting I explored the caves and saw for myself the cutters I overheard you talking about. I was about to go explore some more when I saw you guys come back"

Howard turned to Luxa and smiled, "So why are you here? I don't remember overhearing anything about you coming."

"Gregor had told me he was going on a school trip for three days, so he would be able to visit me. Later that night Ripred told me he would be visiting the other rats for three days. Having them both leave at the same time got me suspicious. So I followed Ripred here" she replied.

"Good this is nice. Now we know why everyone's here" Ripred's voice was thick with sarcasm, "We've wasted enough time already. Three days are almost up. People are going to start looking for us, if they haven't already."

"Wait a second Ripred" Howard started. "I've told you my story, but I haven't heard yours. It's obvious something happen to you guys. Gregor is covered in bruises and Luxa has blood on her arm."

"Tell him Ripred" Luxa told him.

"Fine, I'll make this quick. I got here with Gregor and we looked in the caves like you did. The cave we were in collapsed. Gregor didn't get out in time. I pulled him out but he got banged up pretty bad. Luxa arrived and we went to the cutter's land to find out more. We were attacked by some green snake like creature. There were no cutters there so we came back here" Ripred finished.

"You forgot to say that Gregor lost his memory" Nike chimed in.

"Oh yeah. Gregor lost his memory when the rock hit his head" Ripred said.

"Huh. Let me look at him. I'm guessing that Luxa's cut is from those mysterious creatures" Howard asked.

"Yeah" Luxa replied.

"Ok both of you, let me have a look" Howard said as he motioned for them to come to him.

Gregor decided to trust him. Before they walked away Howard whispered something to Ripred. Ripred grunted and walked in the other direction. They walked to the other side of the rock where they weren't close to the bats. "Hi Gregor" Howard said with a smile.

"Uh, hi" Gregor said.

"I'm Howard, her cousin" he pointed to Luxa. "I'm a doctor at The Front, another place in Underland. I know you don't remember me but you have to trust me. Now I'm going to look at Luxa first, because you don't seem to have any open wounds. After that I'll see what I can do for you"

"Sounds good" Gregor said as he sat down.

Howard started to examined Luxa arm. Howard seemed like a nice guy. He look like he was only a couple of years older then Gregor. Gregor studied his face. His hair was sort of long like it hadn't been cut in awhile. He also had some hair on his chin which is why he looked older.

"Ok, I think you will be fine. It doesn't look like it was poisonous. I going to wrap it though, so you don't get an infection" Howard said. "Looks like I got here just in time. Two injuries." Howard turned to Luxa and lowered his voice "What was your plan? Were you just going to stay out here. What if this was infected? Your Queen now, you can't just leave whenever you feel like it. People are going to wonder where you are. They are going to worry about you. You're not 11 anymore, you have responsibilities. And what about Gregor?" Luxa glanced at Gregor.

"What about me?" Gregor asked with a little more force then he meant.

"Nothing. Lets take a look at you." Howard said. He examined Gregor's arms, legs and head. Periodically he asked Gregor if something hurt, or if he could move something. "Well, nothing seems to be broken. That's good. You are bruised pretty bad, but that will get better. The only serious thing seems to be your memory." Howard paused. "Do you remember anything?"

"Only little bits, they seem more like dreams then memories. When we fought yesterday I saw flashes of myself fight. I also saw some flashes when I talked to Luxa last night. Those were all about her" Gregor answered.

"Like what?" Luxa asked.

Gregor hesitated, "I saw you turn your back on me when I needed you help." Gregor saw that Luxa looked confused. "I was in quicksand. I asked for help, but you turned away." Luxa started to talk but Gregor stopped her. "I saw you collapse and myself catching you, and I saw us kiss. I not sure what to make of them."

"Gregor you have to understand. I was confused" Luxa paused she saw the hurt on his face. "Please, I thought you had switched sides. I had been living in the jungle. When I saw you, I saw you were with rats." Gregor looked at her trying to figure what to say. "It was along time ago, so much has changed" she finished.

"I need time to figure this all out" he finally said. "I don't know what to think, maybe if I remember more" Gregor looked at Howard "How do I remember more?"

"Gregor, to be honest, you might never remember" Howard said. He quickly continued "or you might wake up tomorrow and remember everything"

"Isn't there anything I can do" Gregor asked. As Howard thought Gregor turned away to look for the other. They were gone. Gregor figured the bat went out to find food, and Ripred was looking around. Just him, Luxa and Howard. Gregor just noticed that Luxa had moved away a little, putting distance between them. She was still close enough though to hear what they were saying. Gregor saw that she looked sad, but wasn't crying.

He turned back to Howard as Howard began to speakek, "well, you remembered stuff when you fought and talked to Luxa. Talk to her more. It might help you remember and it will probably make her feel better. She misses you."

"Yeah, ok" Gregor turned and saw Ripred was back.

"If you guys are done yet, we have work to do. I've found to the cutters" Ripred said


	12. Chapter 12

Gregor followed Henry and Luxa as left to go with Ripred. As they left the rock, Gregor noticed that the bats were still not there. Howard and Ripred were too far up ahead to ask so he turned to Luxa, "Where did the bats go?"

"I sent them home" she replied, stressing the "I". Gregor had a feeling she did this just to show she was in charge.

"Why?" he asked.

"To tell everyone that I am ok and that I will be returning tomorrow" she answered. She paused then continued, "People might be worried. You know, with all of us gone. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

"Wait. Back up. Is this about what Howard said? Why are we returning tomorrow?" Gregor asked suddenly.

"Isn't that what Ripred said?" her face looked puzzled. "Three days are almost up" she said imitating Ripred.

"Since when do you listen to him?" Gregor said as he laughed.

"Since when do you remember that I don't listen?" she replied.

"I don't know. You just seem the type"

"What is my type, Gregor?"

Gregor stepped back and moved his head up and down as if he was scanning her. He stopped when he was looking her right in the eyes. He noticed how purple they were and that they were really pretty. He started to remembered the first time he meet her. He had just walked in the arena. She was up above riding on a bat. She did a flip off the bat and landed to face him. He remembered that he thought she was arrogant and a show-off, but even then he thought she had dazzling eyes.

He noticed that he was smiling and was still looking at her. "Umm. Your type? You're someone who is very proud. You've been hurt before, so you try to keep up a shield not letting any one get close. Well, at least not easily. You care a lot about your people and would be willing to go out on crazy missions to help them. Most of all you never let anyone else tell you what to do. If you think that it is important, you do it."

He looked at her. "Am I close?" She nodded. "What about me? You know a lot about me, what's my type?" he asked.

She wasn't grinning anymore. Her face had become sad and distance, like she was lost in thought. "Your type? You are a warrior, Gregor. You fight for your family and the people you love. You would even give your life for their safety. You have a big heart. You stand up for others when they are mistreated and use fighting as a last resort. You are a hero."

"A hero!" he laughed as if it was a joke.

"I'm not kidding, Gregor. Weren't you listening to Ripred when he told you about the quests you went on. You killed the Bane. You're my…" she stopped "You're Underland's hero."

Gregor didn't think he was a hero anymore. That was the old Gregor. The one who had his memories. Right now Gregor wasn't him, but he wished he was.

Gregor decided to change the subject, "You haven't answered me yet. Since when do you take orders?"

"I still don't take orders, but Ripred is my bond. I don't want to argue with him." Gregor didn't think this was the real reason. On this trip, so far, Gregor has seen Luxa argue with Ripred may times.

"No really" Gregor said.

"Well, I'm queen now" Gregor remembered the talk Howard had with her. "People need me. And, well, Gregor we need to get you home."

"I'm the reason. I want to stay. Don't go because of me" Gregor had said this louder then he meant. Ripred and Howard turned to look at him. "Sorry, it's nothing" he told them and they turn back around.

"Gregor, it's going to do no good having you out here. Your family expects you home. If you don't come back on time, they are going to be worried, and might come down here looking for you. They won't let you come back again" she looked at him. "Not that I'm saying you want to, with your memory gone and all."

Gregor stopped her, "It's not bad down here, I might want to visit. I mean you said I was going to move down here, I must have liked it a lot." He smiled at her. "At least, I think I liked the people down here a lot." Luxa actually started to blush. She turned away from Gregor. "Luxa…" Gregor started, but Ripred interrupted.

"If you guys haven't noticed we're here" Ripred said. Gregor looked up. They were standing in the mouth of a cave. "The cutter's are inside. This cave isn't too far from the one that collapsed on us, Gregor. We all need to be careful guys, it could happen again."

"Ripred, how are we going to see? The cave is dark. I didn't bring any torches and Gregor doesn't have any of his light sticks." Luxa asked.

"That's good, I don't want us bring any light into the cave. If the cutter's find us, we are going to be out numbered. There are thousands of them. Even with two rages we wouldn't be able to fight them off. We aren't using anything that would bring attention to us. We will be ok with out light, won't we Gregor?" Ripred replied.

"Yeah, I don't need light."

"I'll take the lead and Gregor will go in the back. We can guide you and Howard through the cave. Plus, there a light source in the cave." Luxa started to talk but Ripred stopped her. "Don't ask, I don't know where the light comes from."

"Ready?" Howard asked.

"Yeah let's go" Gregor replied


End file.
